[FOCI]

Has a Custom Drone

Neon Rain

You're a genius with drones—building them, controlling them, and repairing them. You've created a unique drone with a limited artificial intelligence; it follows your commands like it's an extension of your thoughts. As you advance, you learn and discover new ways to update your drone and give it additional abilities, and how to control multiple drones at once. You may think of your drone as a tool, pet, or sidekick; it sees you as a best friend or beloved parent.

Additional Equipment

Drone spare parts, drone tool kit.

Minor Effect Suggestion

Your drone buddy jostles your foe, hindering its next turn by one step.

Major Effect Suggestion

Your drone buddy takes an immediate extra action that you choose.

⚡ — denotes a cyberware-derived ability.

Tier 1

Drone Buddy Enabler

A robot drone about the size of a small dog (built by you) accompanies you and follows your instructions. When within long range, you can wirelessly communicate with and control the drone and it can transmit what it sees and hears to you. You and the GM must work out the physical details of your drone. You’ll probably make rolls for it when it takes actions. A drone in combat usually doesn’t make separate attacks but helps with yours. On your action, if the drone is next to you, it serves as an asset for one attack you make on your turn. If the drone is destroyed, you can repair the original with a few days’ worth of tinkering, or build a new one with a week’s worth of half-time labor.

Drone buddy: level 2; flies a short distance each round Robot Control counts as a hack (page 10). Secondary drone: level 2; flies a short distance each round

Robot Builder Skill

You are trained in tasks related to building and repairing robots. For the purposes of repair, you can use this skill to heal robots and repair cybernetics that use similar technology.

Tier 2

⚡Robot Control (2+ Intellect points) Action

You use your knowledge of robot command and control (and possibly devices that transmit on the proper frequency) to affect any mechanized system or robot of level 2 or lower within short range. You can render several targets inactive for as long as you focus all your attention on them. If you focus on just one target, you can attempt to take active control of it for one minute, commanding it to do simple tasks on your behalf while you concentrate. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the maximum level of the mechanized system or robot. Thus, to affect a level 4 target (two levels above the normal limit), you must apply two levels of Effort.

Action to initiate.

Tier 3

Ability Choice: Choose either Coordinated Actions or Expert Drone as your Tier 3 ability.

Coordinated Actions Enabler

When you and your drone from the Drone Buddy ability are within immediate distance of each other, you inflict 2 additional points of damage when you attack and both of you gain an asset to defense actions.

Expert Drone Enabler

The drone from your Drone Buddy ability advances to level 3. You can either gain (build) a secondary drone, or add +1 Armor to your primary drone.

Secondary drone: level 2; flies a short distance each round

Tier 4

Drone Upgrade Varies

You modify your primary drone with one new capability. Standard options include the following. Work with your GM if you prefer a different capability.

• Amplify. When the drone is within an immediate distance of you, it eases your wireless actions (such as hacking, broadcasting, or activating a machine). Enabler.
• Defense Mode. The drone can reconfigure itself into armor for a person you designate (typically protecting their head and torso), providing +1 Armor. Action to become armor or return to its normal form.
• Improved Flight. The drone can fly a long distance each round. It is strong enough to carry you, moving a short distance each round for up to one minute; after carrying you, the drone’s tasks are hindered for one hour. Enabler.
• Increased Range. Your communication range with your drone increases to very long range.
• Integrated Weapon. The drone has an integrated medium weapon such as a blade, pistol, or monowire. If the weapon uses bullets, it can hold up to 30 of them. You can allow the drone to attack on its own, or you can wield it as a weapon and make eased attacks with it. Enabler, or action to reload the drone’s bullets.
• Medical Intervention. The drone has a hypo injector filled with hospital-grade emergency drugs. Using the hypo on a living creature heals them for a number of points equal to the drone’s level (Might for PCs, health for NPCs). The drone cannot use this ability again until after your next recovery roll. Enabler.
• Relay Signal Extender. Using your wireless connection to the drone, you can bounce your wireless actions (such as hacking, broadcasting, or activating a machine) through it, using those abilities as if you were where the drone is. Tasks relayed through the drone are hindered by one step. Action.

Tier 5

Premium Drone Enabler

Your primary drone’s level increases to 4. If you have a secondary drone from the Expert Drone ability, its level increases to 3; otherwise, your primary drone gains +1 to Armor. Enabler.

Tier 6

Ability Choice: Choose either Drone Evolution or Drone Split as your Tier 6 ability.

Drone Evolution Enabler

Your primary drone’s level increases to 5, and you build up to four fleet drones of the same or smaller size as the primary drone. If a fleet drone is destroyed, you can build a new one (or repair the old one from its parts) after a week of half-time labor.

Fleet drone: level 3; flies a short distance each round

Drone Split Action

Your primary drone can split into two identical drones with all of the abilities of the primary drone. The split drones are each one level lower than the primary drone (so a level 4 primary drone becomes two level 3 drones). When they recombine, apply the damage from the more injured drone to the primary drone’s health. If one of the two drones is destroyed, you can repair the primary drone as described in Drone Buddy.

Action to split or recombine.

GM Intrusions: The drone gets hacked. The drone acts erratically. The drone runs out of power. The drone thinks an ally is a foe.